And we play for three months? Fifa, which announced at the last World Cup that it was still thinking about the format of the next one, in 2026 with 48 teams, would have achieved its goals. And it looks gratin. According information from New York Times, this World Cup, which will take place in three countries (Canada, United States and Mexico) will take place in the form of 12 pools of four teams, for a total of 104 matches played in 40 days. With multiplied recipes at the end, of course. The idea must be approved on Tuesday after a meeting of the board of directors of the international body.
The number of pools was the hottest topic, the original idea of a division into 16 groups of three leading to the risk of an implicit agreement between two teams in the third match. So go for groups of four, and too bad if it has to be shoehorned into an overloaded calendar, with 40 more games to play (104 against 64) and a competition extended by a good week.
“Such a duration risks irritating players’ unions and clubs, already concerned about the schedule imposed on the best players,” notes the NYT in its article. “This only concerns 1% of players, replies Victor Montagliani, the head of the North American confederation. In fact, the average professional doesn’t play much. The idea that all players play too many games is not the reality. »
In terms of finances, it will also be upturn with a sharp increase expected in TV and commercial rights. Fifa has forecast revenues of some 10 billion euros over the four-year cycle to 2026, 3.5 more than the previous one. “Revenues will increase in terms of broadcasting, sponsors, hospitality. We will play in huge stadiums usually dedicated to American football, with capacities of 80,000 to 90,000 seats,” President Gianni Infantino projected at a press conference in Qatar, citing the figure of 5.5 million spectators. So everything’s OK.